This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Operation of a motor vehicle requires the circulation of various fluids. For example, in a conventional motor vehicle coolant is used to both extract heat from the engine and direct heat to a heater core disposed in the passenger compartment. A pump circulates coolant heated by the engine from the engine to both the heater core and a radiator. Heat is extracted from the coolant by both the radiator and the heater core. The pump further circulates the cooled fluid from both the radiator and the heater core back to the engine for further cooling of the engine.
When the temperature of coolant increases, the volume correspondingly expands. A radiator cap maintains the pressure in the radiator to a predetermined maximum amount. A coolant reservoir is conventionally provided to accommodate expansion of the coolant and to also store a reserve of the coolant.
Fluid (e.g., coolant) entering a conventional reservoir may become aerated. For example, the fluid may enter the reservoir at a relatively high speed and become aerated in response to turbulence. Air bubbles may be introduced into the flowing fluid in the coolant fluid circuit within the engine and radiator components. It can occur that air is trapped in the engine cooling system and that portions of the trapped air may become entrained into the coolant fluid flow as air bubbles. The air captured in the fluid is preferably released from the fluid before the fluid exits the fluid reservoir (e.g., for heat transfer within the vehicle). Also it is advantageous to prevent foaming within the reservoir, such as due to the presence of entrained air.
While known fluid reservoirs such as coolant reservoirs have proven to be generally successful for their intended purposes, a continuous need for improvement remains in the pertinent art.